Girls and Boys Division leaders shoot personal bests

RINGGOLD, Ga. â€“ Catherina Wang, 15, of Sarasota, Fla., bested the entire field by two strokes at the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic Tuesday after firing a 7-under-par 63.Thomas Hugghins, 17, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., leads the Boys Division by three strokes carding a 5-under-par 65.

Conducted by the American Junior Golf Association, the 54-hole stroke-play event is being held at WindStone Golf Club and features 99 of the nationâ€™s top junior golfers from 15 states.Highlighting the field are nine Rolex Junior All-Americans, including defending champion Ben Spickard of Roswell, Ga.

Wang, who leads the Girls Division by 5 strokes, began her round with a birdie on the par-4 first followed by four pars.

â€śIn the beginning I didnâ€™t make many birdie putts but then everything began to drop after six holes,â€ť Wang said.

Tallying seven birdies without a single bogey, Wang shot 9-hole totals of 31 and 32, claiming the womenâ€™s course record at WindStone Golf Club.

Shooting her own personal best of 68 is Amber Davis, 17, of East Point, Ga.

â€śIt hasnâ€™t really hit me yet because we have two more days of play,â€ť Davis said.

Following Wang and Davis is 17-year-old Mallory Hetzel of Summerville, S.C. with a 1-under-par 69.

With four straight birdies on Nos. 4 through 7 followed by a fifth on the uphill, 479-yard par-5 ninth, Hugghins shot a 5-under-par 30 on the front nine.Hugghins reached 7-under-par after 12 holes, however, bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 left him at the top of the leader board with a 65.

â€śI had consistent play until the last 2 holes,â€ť Hugghins said.

Hitting 11 of 14 fairways, Hugghins credited smart play for his personal best score in Tuesdayâ€™s round.

â€śI kept it in the fairway all day which is very important on this golf course,â€ť he said.â€śYou canâ€™t be too aggressive on this course.â€ť

Brad Nelson, a teammate of Hugghins at NeaseHigh School in PonteVedraBeach, trails the leader by one stroke.Nelson shot matching 33â€™s on the front and back nines with an eagle on hole No. 17.

Rounding out the top five in the Boys Division after the first round are Tyler Dingman of Raleigh, N.C., and Michael Saari of Lilburn, Ga., at 68 and Chase McFarland of Savannah, Ga., Matt Savage of Louisville, Ky., and Michael Green of Augusta, Ga., at 69.

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.The AJGA has a membership (boys and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000 junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign countries.

Titleist, the AJGAâ€™s National Sponsor, has been the catalyst and driving force behind the Associationâ€™s success since 1989.Rolex Watch USA, a supporter of the AJGA since 1983, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.

Second-round tee times begin at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday off the No. 1 tee.For more information about the Ringgold Telephone Company Junior Classic, please contact tournament headquarters at (706) 935-4355.

The American Junior Golf Foundation is the primary recipient of all charitable giving to the AJGA and as such administers a variety of programs designed to compliment the AJGA and the members and families who make up our community. Learn more about these important programs and how your contributions to the Foundation secure the AJGA’s financial future for future generations to come.

The Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program provides financial assistance to junior golfers who wish to play in AJGA events. Its goal is to give top-flight golf opportunities to young golfers regardless of financial resources. This program helps to fulfill the AJGA’s mission of developing young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.

Leadership Links

What is Leadership Links?

Leadership Links is a new program whereby the AJGA is able to further its mission to help develop young men and women by teaching charitable giving skills and service-oriented practices at an early age. This program gives juniors all the tools necessary to donate their time, talent and resources to local charities and the AJGA youth development programs. Please click here to learn more about the program and the different opportunities available.

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and
development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf.